1981What Happened Then
by SlyGirlofGreenandBlack
Summary: Harry Potter is lost and confused, so is Draco Malfoy, though he's better at hiding it, who is the one that is able to see through both of them, and bring them and Hogwarts together in an unexpected turn of events?
1. Prelude: What Happened Before

Prelude: What Happened Before

1981, August 5th.

"Sirius, I've tried everything I can think of. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."  
>"But...Surely som-"<br>"Of course there are plenty of people who would take her, do not think this is because she is not wanted. But they asked for her. As soon as everyone heard they asked, and they are her family, some of the closest she has... I'm sorry Sirius."  
>"You know what they will turn her into! How can you just let her go like that? My daughter. Mine! Are you just going to give up on her like a lost cause?"<br>"Sirius, it's too late. She's gone. You can't help her. You're going to Azkaban, I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>AN: Alright everyone, this is my first published story so I would love to have some feedback! I've posted what I've done so far, which I hope will get you hooked, and I hope you will be able to help me improve my writing style. I feel as though I might be a little too descriptive at the moment, so let me know what you think, if you like it or not, whether I should continue it...  
>Please don't leave any horrible reviews though, if you find it that awful, stop reading it, so unless you have a suggestion to make it better, or just want to let me know you like it (which is always appreciated) please refrain from slashing me.<p>

~SlyGirlofGreenandBlack~ xoxo


	2. Chapter One: Anticipation

Chapter One: Anticipation

1996, August 28.

She was sitting in Draco's room talking to him about Hogwarts; trying to prepare herself for her first year there so she wouldn't make any mistakes that would embarrass the family. Draco had started off with the missing stairs and the horrid poltergeist that they have there, and had moved on to the shortcuts to avoid the moving staircases, because they were unpredictable and you would almost always be late for class if you used them.

"Draco, I'm never going to remember all this...you know that right?" I drawled lazily, leaning back and looking out the window. It was a beautiful evening, the sun had cast orange and gold streaks across the heavens and the clouds were toned in shades of pink and purple. The whole sky looked amazing as the deep, midnight blue crept across the sky towards the magnificent sunset. I heard him sigh patiently and turned back to him.

"Ari, I told you it was essentially redundant when we started. You're taking almost all the same classes as me anyway, and those I'm not in Blaise will be with you." He looked at me, smirking with his silver eyes. They were so light I could see the sky behind me reflected in them like mirrors.

As I watched he looked at the ancient clock above his bed and glared at it as though he thought time itself would bend to his will if he wanted it to.

"Mother and Father should have been back by now. I'll bet that stupid Headmaster is trying to refuse them. Of course Father is Director of the Board of Governors, so he'll get his way. I honestly don't know why the muggle-lover bothers."  
>"I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore is just making sure they go through all the proper procedures-"<br>"You don't know him Ari; he plays favourites worse than the minister does and his favourite is The-Boy-Who-Won't-Die." Draco cut me off with a fierce look in his eyes. I didn't have any reply to that. We both knew he was right, and we both knew I had just been trying to distract him. He'd always hated it when people had refused to accept me. Draco had always been protective of me, ever since we were little toddlers playing with the Parkinson's children. I knew that when I arrived at Hogwarts it would only increase since it was beyond a doubt that I would be sorted into Slytherin, and they all knew Slytherin was the House least understood, and most persecuted for that reason. Draco said people didn't even try to understand them, and that as soon as you were sorted into Slytherin people treated you as though you were a mini death-eater in training, and would only be burden to wizard-kind when you finished school.  
>It sounded like so much fun already.<p>

"Drake, I'm hungry. I'm going to go down for dinner, Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa know how to get food, and they will have dinner when they get back. But it is dinner time, and they'll only think us irresponsible for not feeding ourselves." I stood by the door and waited for him while picking non-existent lint off the elegant sleeves of my new blue shirt. Aunt Narcissa had taken me shopping the day she escorted me from Beauxbatons Academy for the last time and we had stopped off in Paris on our way back. She had said that if I was going to be representing the Black name and standing out the way I was going to, since I would be the only new student above the age of eleven, then I would need to be standing out in the latest fashions...and of course where better to get the latest fashions than Paris? I smiled as I remembered that day. Of course it had been fantastic, the Malfoy name is, naturally French, and they are renowned across France, so everywhere we went we had special service. Exceptionally special service. Tea and tarts served to us in the dressing rooms, sweet champagne and delicacies floating around behind us in all the shops, we were treated like royalty. I had come back refreshed and feeling like a queen.  
>"Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." Draco offered me his arm and led me along the gallery like he had done since our first attendance at one of his parents' private functions. We had taken lessons over the years for all sorts of things, manners and behaviour were some of the most important things in the world, we were taught. Ballroom dancing and multiple languages had only been the tip of the iceberg for us, unlike the other pureblood children we had grown up with, whose parents had become slack in their position in society and forgone all the traditional lessons, Mr. Malfoy was French, and believed in elegance, and Mrs. Malfoy was a Black, from the Noble and most Ancient House of Black she said, like me, and we believed in keeping tradition.<br>Which meant that as we walked down the stairs Draco moved my hand into the crook of his elbow and walked me down, while I ran my other hand along the banister until we got to the bottom, like we had been taught, it was all about elegance and grace, and showing you have it.  
>When we entered the Dining room Draco walked me to my chair, pulling it out for me as we got there and pushing me in once I sat down, before walking around to the other side of the table and sitting down himself. That was how his parents found us about fifteen minutes later, halfway through our meal.<br>"Good evening, Ariella, Draco. I trust nothing has happened while we've been gone that I should know about?" Lucius walked to his chair, once sure Narcissa was comfortable in her own.

"No Father, I was just telling Ariella about all the twists and turns of Hogwarts. Although I also told her she shouldn't worry as I'll be there to show her around anyway." He looked at me and smiled openly, which was so rare and breathtaking he seemed to glow. Uncle Lucius looked at both of us, from one to the other, before asking me if I was excited to be going to Hogwarts.  
>"I'm not sure if I am excited, to be honest. It sounds so dreary and dull compared to the Beauxbatons Palace; however I will be glad that at least I already know people in my classes." I looked up from my meal to see the expressions on my Uncle and Aunts' faces. My aunt turned to me, "Ariella, I'm sorry you didn't start at Hogwarts in the first place, and I'm sorry that you can't stay in Beauxbatons. When you started we were worried about the treatment you would get as a result of your fathers imprisonment, and we didn't want that to ascertain who would make friends with you or how your teacher's would treat you." Aunt Narcissa glanced across to her husband and sighed. "Now that your older we know that you are able to stop that from affecting you and your grades and also that you could, in fact change things for the better at Hogwarts, whether the professors there like it or not." She looked at me again earnestly with bright blue eyes. I just nodded and they both settled into their meal, while Draco and I finished ours.<p> 


	3. Chapter Two: Impressions

Chapter Two: Impressions Aren't Always What They Seem

1996, September 1.

Draco led her through the crowd towards the gleaming train. It wasn't that she hadn't seen it before, she'd come several times when they were younger to say goodbye to Draco as they went their separate ways, it was just that she'd never walked the length of it before. Narcissa and Lucius were making their way stately to the front, stopping occasionally to talk to friends and acquaintances. However, they had to get there quicker because they wanted to save a compartment for themselves. So Draco was practically shoving his way through the crowd leaving a wake in his path for her to walk politely through leading their luggage with her wand.

Ariella noticed that as she passed other people in Draco's year she was getting odd looks from them, as they were obviously wondering who she was and what she was doing here. Hopefully that would stop by the end of tonight. Draco suddenly turned sharply and disappeared into the train. As she came to the spot she noticed that he had stepped onto the first step and was holding his hand out for her to hold as she climbed onto the train, the trunks following behind her.

He led her along the passageway to the second-to-last door and opened it for her to step inside first. As she did she noticed that they were almost at the very front of the train, where the first class compartment would be normally and also that there were already three people sitting inside.  
>Pansy Parkinson was staring at her with her enormous mouth open, evidently forgetting that she had been chewing some gum because Ariella could now see it very clearly, when Draco stepped in and the others looked up. Now that she wasn't distracted by Parkinson's horrible manners Ariella noticed that there were also two boys in the compartment.<p>

"Blaise, Parkinson, I believe you've met Ariella before although Pansy you may not remember her." Draco looked at both of them before turning his back on Pansy and directly facing the second boy and sole other occupant of the compartment.  
>"Ariella, this is Theodore Nott. He's also in Slytherin and will be in some of your classes. Nott, this is Ariella." At this Theodore Nott stood up and took my hand.<br>"It is a pleasure to meet you Ariella. Welcome to Hogwarts, I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances to get to know each other better this year."  
>"Nott!" Draco cut in as the boy still hadn't let me go, "Let go of her hand now... or you wont have a hand to let go with."<br>I glanced at Draco quickly before answering the idiot. "It's a pleasure I'm sure."  
>At this Nott sat down again and Draco made Pansy give up her side of the compartment so that Blaise, Draco and I could sit next to each other, with me ensconced in the middle.<br>"Dray, you never told me you were bringing Ariel with you this year...I'm your girlfriend. How could you not!" Pansy whined to Draco, completely ignoring Blaise and I, and making her face look even more like a pug. The puppy dog look was obviously an epic fail with her features. Blaise and I were struggling not to snigger as she leaned across the compartment towards Draco.  
>"I'm not sure what you mean Parkinson. You have never been my girlfriend, and I struggle to think of an occasion where I could have given you that impression." Draco avoided her gaze looking disgusted. "Ariella, I believe we still need to say goodbye to Mother and Father. Shall we go now before the train starts billowing smoke all over the platform?" He suddenly looked at me and I could see, deep behind all the masks that he wore, a sense of pleading in his eyes to help him get away from her. I smirked amused.<br>"Oh, yes. I think that would be alright. I'm sure Pansy wont miss us too much!"  
>"Drakey, I wouldn't mind coming with you! I haven't seen your parents in ages, I'm sure they would love to catch up with my mother and father!" she jumped up desperately, her small eyes looking as though they couldn't decide whether to narrow into a glare aimed at me, or widen in earnest at Draco.<p>

Again I had to turn away to hide my smile, this reaction had been expected when we decided I would have to come to Hogwarts this year. Pansy and the rest of the Parkinsons hadn't seen me since we were toddlers because the day they came around to Malfoy Manor to meet me, Pansy was playing with Draco and I and refused to let me play with anything. She then insisted we play hide and seek where Draco was the seeker and she led me outside before pushing me into the lake out the back of the Manor Estate. When Draco flew past and saw me crawling out covered in mud he'd blown into a rage and shoved Pansy in as well before putting me on his little broom and zooming me off back to the house to tell Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius. They had then sent one of the house-elves to collect Pansy and told the Parkinsons that "If they didn't get their swine of a daughter under control, they would not remain friends"...obviously she'd hated me ever since. I had to agree that the feeling was mutual.

"No Pansy, I don't think you should come, Mother and Father are quite busy and wouldn't appreciate being caught on the platform when the train started as their clothes and ours are quite expensive and smoke would unfortunately ruin them." By this time Draco was looking away distractedly as though she was a waste of time, and this was clearly noticed by Pansy as she abruptly closed the door on us and slumped back down, making no attempt at grace.  
>"Pity she couldn't come, I think it would have been rather amusing to see her face when she was cut down to size by Lucius. I'm sure we would have finally gotten to see Narcissa break down in hysterics as well..." I sighed dramatically, before sharing a side-long look with Draco. He just rolled his eyes exaggeratedly at my antics before leading me back off the train to where Narcissa and Lucius were standing back on the platform.<p>

Narcissa and Lucius looked every bit the high society couple, with their obvious stately confidence and stature as well as their reputation causing everyone else on the platform to give them a very wide berth. It was only because I had known them all my life that I was able to see the little ticks and itches that not even strict, pureblood training could get rid of. The ones that showed their hesitance at sending us away this year, the slight twitch of a muscle in Lucius' jaw, and the nervous itching of Narcissa's left hand in the pocket of her expensive robes as she gripped her wand. When they saw us coming towards them they relaxed slightly before I stepped into the embrace of each and Draco shook hands with his father and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. We said our subdued farewells and they both wished us luck before we returned to the train, and they apparated away back to their sprawling Manor. It was always the way, even when I was going to Beauxbatons. We would have our proper goodbyes at home so that when we said our official ones we could keep up appearances in public. I hadn't understood when we were younger because I couldn't understand why people would care whether we were emotional in public or not, but now I'm older I do. It's important for many people for us to keep up the appearance of being a cold pureblood family because it's one of the things they ground their views on the world on...that and if any of the other pureblood families who still held purity ideals saw us like that we would be on their hit list in an instant. So essentially, it still comes down to the old Slytherin self-preservation instincts that we're bred with. Draco shared a look with me that told me he was feeling the same as me and together we moved silently back to our compartment to join the other sixth year Slytherins.


	4. Chapter Three: The Incident

Chapter Three: The Incident on the Train

The other Slytherins were surprisingly quite good fun once we'd settled into the train journey, Pansy was still shooting glowering looks at me every five or ten minutes, but that didn't really bother me. If anything it was a source of amusement for the whole compartment, although the others were subtle in their enjoyment. I could see them sharing looks between them as if to say, _this is certainly going to be an interesting year with the two of them..._ I couldn't decide whether to smirk and agree with them, or to take offence at being lumped together with Pansy Parkinson. It was clearly only my personal dilemma. Soon enough the lunch trolley lady came down the train passage and Draco asked me what I would like before he and Blaise left to collect it from outside our compartment. It was when they had been gone only a few minutes that Nott, Pansy and I heard Draco's cutting voice and a rather angry chocking sound coming from further down the carriage. I saw Pansy and Nott share evil looks, telling me they obviously knew what was going on, and I followed them out of the compartment. It was quite quickly evident what the disruption was.

"Well, Weasel. I know your parents probably taught you themselves before you started at Hogwarts, but I had thought you at least knew how to make whole and complete sentences." Blaise sneered at a redheaded boy who I assumed was a Weasley, while a dark haired boy next to him focused a look of pure, unadulterated hatred at Draco. Quickly putting the two together with the information Draco had provided me with over the years I came to the conclusion this must be the infamous Boy-Who- Lived, and his companion the second youngest Weasley. As I looked on I could see very clearly what was going on in the mind of the Wizarding World's Saviour. The explosion that came was neither unexpected nor eloquent, though it certainly got his views across in a manner not to be confused. Pure Gryffindor bluntness, in all its red and gold glory, and by this stage Pansy and Nott were getting ready to join in with the hunt as well. I decided it was time we moved this confrontation along and got them out of the Slytherin compartment, as Draco clearly couldn't do it with all of Potter's loathing centred on him. I stepped up next to Draco's shoulder, through Nott and Pansy who looked at me with sudden interest as if I was the one who had the potential to make this situation the most interesting. They were right in a way, though they had no idea what way that was. By now I was close enough to Draco's shoulder for Potter to notice me and take his aim away from Draco; it was amazing the amount of hatred that filled his eyes that I hadn't noticed fully until his gaze was suddenly, unwillingly diverted to me. How Draco could stand that much hatred being directed at him all year I had no idea, but I looked at the Boy–Who–Lived straight in the eyes and it changed to confusion almost instantly.

"You must be Harry Potter. I don't believe we've had the fortune to meet, I'm Sirius' daughter."  
>He stared at me with bright green, calculating eyes like a cat, before a scoffing was heard to the left of him. Still I didn't redirect my gaze. I heard Weasley say something about Sirius never having had a daughter, and even if he did he would never have given her to the Malfoy's. Harry still just looked at me, all traces of his previous anger forgotten. The thought flicked across my mind that what everyone said was true, Gryffindor's only had room for one emotion at a time in their bodies.<p>

Evidently anger wasn't strong enough to outweigh confusion, or doubt in this particular case. Still he just looked at me, as though connecting similarities between me and Sirius. I knew what he would be looking at, my jet black hair contrasting brilliantly with my alabaster skin. The angular jaw-line and sharp eyes that people had always noted about the Black's. The things that had cut him an impressive and charismatic figure before he went to Azkaban, and the things that had emphasized his decline when he had broken out. Pale skin only contrasted nicely, effectively when you were healthy and well looked after, and strong angular facial features hollowed out quickly when you didn't eat enough. It was one of the reasons none of my friends at Beauxbatons had connected me with him after he had broken out, these same features looked completely different on him than on me, and only someone who had seen him the way Potter had would be able to see the resemblances.

Which was what I was counting on really, that he would be able to see the resemblances between me and my long-lost father, where most others wouldn't. That way he would be easier to convince.  
>"Sirius never told me he had a daughter." Harry was looking at me with a clear look of suspicion in his eyes now, although he was obviously talking to Weasley. "Ron, did you know Sirius had a daughter?"<br>"'Course not, Harry. 'Cause he didn't mate. She's lying, brought up by the Malfoy's mate. It's just some trick to get in your head, don't believe her." The Weasel was looking at me in disgust I saw now out of the corners of my eyes. Of course he wouldn't recognise me though, he'd barely known Sirius.  
>"If you don't believe me ask Dumbledore. My name's Ariella Black, by the way. I guess I'll see you around!" I shot back at him before looking at Harry again and turning around to head back to the compartment we had taken over, not looking back while the others all followed leaving two very confused Gryffindors in our wake.<p> 


	5. Chapter Four: Initial Reactions

Chapter Four: Initial Reactions

Stepping off the train and onto the platform at Hogmeade Station was certainly an experience. I can't understand how Draco puts up with it every time. As I looked around me all I could see was a churning mass of black cloaks and bobbing heads all moving frantically towards one goal, the carriages waiting at the other end. How everyone managed to stay on the platform I have no idea, but there didn't seem to be any casualties aside from bruised ribs and sore toes.

While I was standing there I realised I was making myself a target and blocking the flow of people, so as I looked around and caught Draco's eye I was immensely glad to see he already had my trunk and a carriage saved near the front of the queue. Now all I had to do was make my way there, easier said than done apparently.

The bustle of students on the platform just didn't seem to want to give at all, and quite honestly, I found it disgusting. Here I was being barged and pushed by people who looked as though they hadn't had a shower before they left, and on whose clothes I could see sweat marks under their arms. Beauxbaton's would never witness this display in its halls ever.

When the start of term arrived Beauxbaton's always arranged avenues of travel which best suited each student. Consequently, they offered Floo Network Fireplaces, Apparition Points and Rooms, Landing Wings and Overnight rooms, for those who needed to rest before flying home again, and they had the carriage which would chauffeur girls from wherever they needed to be picked up from nearby, directly to the front entrance. This option was of course also available to parents who wanted to deliver their girls straight to the door. All these options meant that there was never a chaos such as this on the first or last day, and as many girls would be arriving over the course of the day, there was always time to retire to your quarters to freshen up before the Opening Feast.

I looked at Draco as I finally arrived at the carriage and he helped me inside, we both shared a look of disgust before settling into our seats and the journey up to the silhouetted castle on the hill. As I looked up at it and took in its black mass riddled with star-like holes of light all I could do was wonder what this year would bring for our family, and whether it would make us, or ruin us.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay Folks! This is what I've written so far, I'm sorry I know it kind of trails off at the end there, I'm working on it, and I wasn't sure whether to put the last two chapters together or not...

But here it is, please let me know what you think, and if you think it's going well, and whether I should continue, would love to, but I need motivation such as people waiting to make me actually write.

~SlyGirlofGreenandBlack~ xoxo


End file.
